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Haven City
'''Haven City' is a location in Daxter, Jak II, Jak 3, and a separately-identified race track in Jak X: Combat Racing. It is a secluded metropolitan state resting at the bottom of large mountains in the middle of an uncharted wasteland, protected by an all-encompassing wall, founded post-Metal Head incursion amidst the Metal Head Wars by Precurian legend Mar. Haven played as the central location in Daxter and Jak II, and was a major returning hub in Jak 3. The area staged Jak and Daxter's debut into the future (the "Haven era") and was the central cause of the series' time-rift thematic. The city's existence was prompted by the safeguarding and preservation of the area's assets, such as the innocent people there (hence the name "Haven" City), as well as the Catacombs entrance, the Life Seed, the last Precursor Stone, and the Rift Gate — all of which were, to some extent, central elements to the plot. In the games, the city ran on the eco grid, and for most of its existence was protected by an inexplicably repelling Shield Wall until it was compromised towards the latter parts of Jak II. The area's entire landscape is bordered by a tall concrete barrier, with air locks and air trains serving as the only exit points. The city is divided into different sectors via barriers, each sector serving particular purposes with varying aesthetic differences. In its early years, Haven City was governed by a dynasty referred to as the House of Mar, until it was ultimately dissolved and supplanted by Baron Praxis. Following his death, daughter Ashelin Praxis assumed governorship and remains the governor of the city. History Early years in the likeness of Mar.]] At some point early in the Metal Head Wars, Mar founded Haven City as a fortification from the Metal Head forces in order to protect the inhabitants there, the Sacred Site, and the last Precursor Stone. He is credited with the construction of the Shield Wall and eco grid, powered by the ancient eco mines which he quarried as the foundation of energy for the city. After building Haven City, Mar devised a scheme to destroy the Metal Heads by constructing a massive weapon stationed at the Metal Head Nest, which would channel the energy of the last Precursor Stone to destroy the entire race. However, the founder vanished before he was able to use it, and the last Precursor Stone was buried deep within his fabled tomb. The tomb was built beneath the streets of Haven City, and was rigged only to reveal its general location in the city by the activation of the Light Tower. It was also constructed to only open to the "true heir" of Mar's legacy — inside of which the "chosen one" would have to circumvent "cunning tests" to prove himself worthy of receiving the Precursor Stone, collectively referred to as the "Trials of Manhood." At some point after the city's founding, the House of Mar was established, in which Mar's descendants would rule over Haven City in the continuing war against the Metal Heads. Later down the bloodline, a descendant of Mar known as Damas came to throne, and had a son whom he named Mar, after the patriarchal founder of Haven City. However, by this time the dynasty had evidently grown weak, for a new ruler known as Baron Praxis was able to overthrow Damas and banish him to the Wasteland, likely in cooperation with High Council chairman Count Veger.Veger stated that while Baron Praxis banished Damas to the Wasteland, he took Jak from Damas in the hopes to harness his eco-channeling abilities in search of the Precursor Catacombs. Additionally, Veger was the representative known to carry out banishments. (discuss) The act was a treacherous one according to Damas (who would later rule the Wasteland city of Spargus, an outcast village self-identified as "Haven City's refuse."). Baron Praxis' placement in rulership was considered a desperate act-of-recourse during hard times in the war, but his occupancy was at large acknowledged as unjust, for Damas' son Mar was looked at by many to be the true heir to the throne. Damas lost his son during his banishment, rendering him an orphan. However, identified with his Seal of Mar amulet, he was eventually secured by the rebel Underground movement, dedicated to dethroning Baron Praxis and re-establishing the House of Mar as the ruling dynasty of Haven City. Rule of Baron Praxis Dystopian Haven City Baron Praxis was an oppressive dictator who ruled with a relentless hand and, among other wrongs, denied the rights of his people and used lurkers as the city's low-class labor through the Krimzon Animal Control agency; effectively enslaving them. He instituted a corrupt police force known as the Krimzon Guard, the units of which would patrol the streets of Haven City near-unopposed, enforcing the Baron's tyrannical martial law. At this time, Haven City had conclusively become a dystopian state, with the civilians feeling imprisoned inside the city walls. The feeling of depression and imprisonment was further subsisted by the Ministry of Extreme Labor, reporting civilian productivity and forced labor. :45 Despite it being a dystopia, however, it appeared to be more or less developmentally well-off, with some districts being fully advanced (such as Main Town) and some sectors being energy-efficient or otherwise beneficial to the commonwealth (such as the Industrial Section and the Port, or the Gardens). Albeit yet, there were also the "condemned city sections":52 such as the Slums and Water Slums, known to quarter the city's lower-class populace. Praxis' war efforts As commander-in-chief during the war, Baron Praxis made many attempts to counter Metal Head affronts, many of which afflicted Haven City directly. These included imprisoning innocent civilians for experimentation, calling for the force-volunteering of male civilians for the Krimzon Guard,:18 and soliciting "donations" of eco towards the Baron Eco Fund.:51 .]] One such black operation was the Dark Warrior Program, involving the injection of innocent citizens using dark eco. The endgame was to create a legion of "dark warriors" which would be used to battle the Metal Heads. When Jak arrived into the future, on account of Onin's intel, he was apprehended as a prime prospect for the program. However, this venture would ultimately be deemed a failure, either due to the injections resulting in death, or in Jak's case, "bio-readings" remaining "nominal and unchanged." Despite Praxis' war efforts being at the cost of his citizens, liberal as they were, Praxis once made an attempt to battle the Metal Heads at his own expense, leading a guerrilla attack on the Metal Head Nest with some number of guards. The futile event resulted in the loss of the right side of his face (replaced by cybernetics), as well as lost resources, such as the number of ruined and overturned KG security tanks that can be found scattered around the fort. The anniversary of the battle was mentioned during Jak II in a propaganda station message.:38 Metal Bug invasion In the middle of Praxis' ongoing war efforts and during the two years of Jak's imprisonment, a diminutive Metal Head race known as the Metal Bugs broke through the security walls, causing infestations in many of Haven's buildings or other areas. Led by Kaeden, Metal Kor's adjutant, the metal bugs were the cause of much distress for the civilians, and various extermination companies appeared to be in business before Kaeden, disguised as a human inspector, shut them down under a "poor performance" rationale. One extermination shop, however, remained in business and was featured in the game Daxter. The Kridder Ridder Extermination Company, owned by Osmo, employed Daxter to exterminate metal bugs in various missions throughout the game. Metal Kor told Kaeden to shut down the company, and not to allow Daxter to find his friend Jak with the help of his new allies. However, Kaeden failed, and Daxter was eventually able to eliminate the vast majority of metal bug infestations, as well as their leader, ending the metal bug invasion of Haven City. He also found Jak just before he was going to be executed and helped him escape the prison. After Kaeden's foundering, Kor decided to disguise himself as a human and meet Jak and Daxter at the exit of the prison, where he could then get closer to Jak and sabotage the Baron by aligning himself with the Underground. Underground emblem, a graffiti-style mark depicting a Baron Praxis insignia being cracked with a hammer.]] At some point well before the events of Daxter, the Metal Heads advanced an attack on the Sacred Site's sector of Haven City. They broke through the city wall in an attempt to seize the Life Seed, and in the midst of the attack, Baron Praxis pulled back and relinquished that sector of the city, leaving everyone outside the new barrier to die. However, an individual named the "Shadow" stayed behind and managed to hold off the Metal Head affronts, but was only able to preserve the Sacred Site, with the rest of the sector thereafter referred to as "Dead Town." Meanwhile, a captain in the Krimzon Guard known as Torn resigned from his position, after witnessing first-hand the doings of the Baron. Politically at odds with the new leadership, both Torn and the Shadow united to form the Underground, which only at first gained significant momentum when Jak joined the movement following his prison break. The Underground was a major aversion of the Baron's, having relationships with and influences on many assets in Haven. These included Krimzon Guard relations with Torn's former comrade Ashelin Praxis; resources and intel through ganglord and weapons contracter Krew; and Vin, described as one of the Underground's best informants, being the manager trusted to vital security and intelligence resources as manager of the Power Station. Jak's membership with the Underground also damaged the Baron's influential propaganda and campaign success, with Jak giving the citizens ardent alternative hope, and through civil hearsay, proving himself capable of destroying the Baron and protecting the city. After multiple successful attacks on the Baron's operations, carried out by Jak, the Baron had his guards on high alert and upped his patrols, which conclusively attracted the attention of the Shadow, the legendary leader of Haven's largely influential movement. Metal Head invasion In order to continue his placement on the throne, Baron Praxis negotiated a deal with Metal Head leader, Kor — so long as the Baron supplied Metal Head forces with regular supplies of eco, the Metal Heads would only attack the city enough to create the illusion of wartime, justifying the terms of his rule. The Baron, recognizing that this deal was unsustainable, devised the "final plan" in which he would double-cross Metal Kor by using a Piercer Bomb to destroy the Metal Head Nest. However, Kor became aware of this while he was disguised as a human working for the Underground, so in turn he planned to have his forces penetrate Haven City's walls through the Underport in cooperation with Krew, who was the person contracted to build the Baron's Piercer Bomb. Krew had his henchman Sig unlock some ancient passages in the Underport, by using the Ruby Key in a suicide mission that allowed waiting metal head forces to flood the streets of Haven City, starting the Metal Head invasion. During this, Vin was killed and the Shield Wall was compromised, and was never indicated to have returned to service. In a final meeting between Kor and the Baron, Kor transformed from his human form into his metal head form, revealing himself to both the Baron and Jak. When Metal Kor stated his intentions, the Baron proceeded to charge him with his sword, only to be fatally wounded with a dark eco bolt. Kor then invaded the city himself in search of the Precursor Stone so he could use young Jak, who he kidnapped, to awaken the Stone. The Baron, on his deathbed, revealed to Jak the location of the Precursor Stone, citing that Jak was the "supreme weapon," suggesting his ability to defeat Kor. Reformation After re-acquiring the Precursor Stone, Jak and Daxter traveled to the Metal Head Nest while the majority of the metal heads were in Haven, rendering their defenses down and the nest vulnerable, which aided Jak in successfully defeating Kor. The death of Kor effectively ended the Metal Head invasion, and during Haven's brief period of peacetime, Baron Praxis' regime began its process of dissolution. The Baron's daughter, Ashelin Praxis, became the new governess of Haven City, discontinuing the Krimzon Guard and replacing it with a transition military known as the New Krimzon Guard (NKG), with former Underground leader Torn as its commander and liberated lurker Brutter as its captain. The city also began reconstruction, most notably by the creation of the New Haven district, which replaced the northern Slums and Water Slums in location, and matched Main Town in stratum. War for Haven City Fall of the Palace Shortly after the city's initial reformation, battle again erupted in Haven City, opening with staggering attacks on the Industrial Section and Port. At some point during these events, the New Krimzon Guard quickly reformed into the Freedom League, declaring the War for Haven City. The first attacks were carried out by former Krimzon Robots, now re-organized as the KG Death Bots, mass-produced at the KG War Factory under leadership that was unknown at the time. Despite the Freedom League's efforts to hold off the KG Death Bots, the new enemy faction captured southern Haven City and began occupying all of South Town and the Industrial area. Meanwhile, a surviving group of metal heads resurged and captured the westside of Haven City, terraforming the Southern Gardens and Western Bazaar into Metal Head City, headquartered at the Metal Head Tower. bombing.]] At the onset of the war, the Palace was bombed with mortars, resulting in its complete destruction and the revelation of the Catacombs lying beneath. This was assumed to be done by the Metal Heads given their sudden advancements (though it was much later revealed to be Veger's doing). The Grand Council of Haven City went into an emergency session, in which Count Veger, not thought to be guilty at the time and with a majority influence, determined that Jak was guilty by association with the late crimelord Krew, who was responsible for letting the metal heads into the city. Ashelin Praxis objected to the verdict as governor, but due to the council's power which existed during that point in the reformation period, her protest was overruled and Jak was banished to the Wasteland. Jak's exile and return .]] With Jak gone, Veger began manipulating the Freedom League in his desire to find the Catacombs. The fall of the Palace devastated Haven City, changing its geography significantly by falling on and ruining entire districts, rendering some inaccessible. With poor leadership under Veger, Haven was losing its war. A Freedom League contingency was eventually sent by the Count on a suicide attack into the Port. The advance was successful in re-claiming the Port, but it divided the Freedom League as they were unable to reconnect to the northern HQ in New Haven due to barriers and other blockades by the KG Death Bots in the Industrial Section. The new southern HQ held fort at the Naughty Ottsel with Torn, while the New Haven HQ tried to maintain contact under Governor Praxis on the other side of the city. After a considerable amount of time in exile at Spargus, becoming a citizen and official wastelander there, Jak decided to return to Haven City and help with the war after a reinstatement invitation was given to him by Ashelin. While there, he and Torn discovered that former KG commander Erol was resurrected as "Cyber Errol" (a corrupted and purely cybernetic reincarnation of him), and was behind the KGDB and metal head attacks, in cooperation with the oncoming Dark Maker Ship. With Jak now back in the fight, he was able to single-handedly defend the southern HQ twice from KG advances, in the missions "Destroy incoming blast bots" and "Defend Port from attack". He was also able to reconnect the southern HQ to the main HQ by destroying the KG Death Bots' barriers, also allowing the Freedom League to fight to regain control of the Industrial Section. Damaged, and with the New Haven barrier deactivated, the KG Death Bots conducted a surprise attack on New Haven using armored dropships. Jak successfully defended the attack, though New Haven consequently went from an area controlled by the Freedom League to a battle zone. Conclusion After the attack on New Haven, Veger, threatened by Jak, entered a Freedom League meeting to denounce Jak's qualifications to lead Haven City in its war. The representatives there sided with Jak after the revelation that Veger was the one who bombed the Palace, with Ashelin expressing how she was "tired of Veger's games." She subsequently dissolved the Grand Council and sacked the Count with stronger prerogatives, ending his manipulation of Haven's forces for his advantage. Jak was then sent to penetrate the KG War Factory by bypassing its shields using the cipher glyph. He confronted Cyber Errol, and during their battle inadvertently destroyed the factory, ending further mass production there and heavily damaging the KG Death Bots' forces. Cyber Errol then became preoccupied with the oncoming of the Dark Makers, which was his ultimate motive, and lost interest in leading the KG Death Bots and Metal Head forces any further. This helped Haven emerge victorious, especially when Cyber Errol was destroyed by Jak once and for all during a pursuit in the Wasteland at the end of Jak 3. Reconstruction and combat racing For a year after the war,Calculated from the age difference of Jak between Jak 3 and Jak X: Combat Racing. (source) Haven City was reconstructed with resiliency for the emergence of the massively popular sport of combat racing, originated from Kras City. Among other drastic cosmetic changes, many streets were built with a race track aesthetic, along with the reconstruction of the surrounding areas such as the Pumping Station and Forbidden Jungle. Additionally, the large concrete barriers were rendered unnecessary, and partially or wholly removed in some areas, as open ocean was visible from coastal areas. This was likely done only for gameplay purposes rather than plot-related significance.The plausibility of the emergence of the volcano, along with the shifting of a large part of the geography of Haven, concludes that it appeared so only for the racing thematic of the game. (discuss) Before and during the events of the Kras City Grand Championship, Haven appeared to be in a relatively utopian state. Governor Praxis remained in control of her city, and appeared to be economically well-off, able to sustain a sport with a viewership exceeding two hundred million people. Haven City remained after Jak X: Combat Racing, and presumably so during the events of The Lost Frontier. Geography Overview .]] .]] Haven City is located on the coast of a large continent with a mountainous terrain in the middle of an uncharted wasteland. Over time it expanded from the small Sandover Village site to a massive walled and internally segregated metropolis, surrounded by outside locations, xenophobically referred to as the "badlands," including but not limited to; the unnamed island home to the Pumping Station, the Lurker village, and now-defunct Weapons Factory; Mountain Temple and Haven Forest; the Metal Head Nest; and the Strip Mine. For the larger part of its existence, Haven City was divided into six sectors by colored barriers which could only be passed with a security pass of a corresponding color. After the destruction of Haven Palace, many sectors suffered ruination and abandonment, and the colored barriers ceased to exist. Slums The slums sectors of Haven City included the southern and northern Slums, Dead Town, and the Water Slums. These sectors were located in the north east area of Haven's landscape and were among the least developed areas, consisting of derelict apartments, ditches, damaged and unfinished dirt roads, with a seeming lack of plumbing and electrical upkeep. The Slums were popularly used to house the city's lower-class populace in Jak II. During the reformation period in Haven City, the northern Slums and Water Slums were renovated into New Haven, which was classified as a "developed sector" (see below). During the War for Haven City, the remnants of the Slums, the southern Slums, was a contentious hot zone between all three belligerents and was never indicated to have been renovated following the war's cessation. Notable points of interest in the Slums included the Hideout and Oracle's Hut before the fall of the Palace. After the Palace's destruction, another point of interest became when Onin relocated her tent to the Slums when the eastern Bazaar became inaccessible. The Krimzon Guard Fortress remained a constant throughout Haven's geographical changes, though was repainted a Freedom League blue after reformation. Developed sectors Outside of the Slums were developed sectors, be it economically, aesthetically (upper-class), or agriculturally. The Port and Industrial Section were the first developing districts that Jak and Daxter visited following Jak's escape from prison, and were located on the south east side of Haven's landscape. The Industrial Section appeared to be used, as its name would imply, for industrious purposes, home to various steam plants, a Power Station, the Sewers elevator, and a Construction Site. The Port served as the city's seaport harbor, with cargo ships scattered around the bay and establishments along the bay's walkway (namely the Naughty Ottsel and the Gun Course). The most developed sector in Haven City was Main Town before New Haven was built, both of which were located in central and/or north east-north west Haven City. During Jak II, Main Town could be visited to reach Mar Memorial Stadium, the Palace, and the Tomb of Mar, and was described by Baron Praxis as where "the other upper- half live." During Haven's reformation period, the Water Slums and northern Slums districts were renovated into New Haven, matching Main Town in class. It contained more visually pleasing architecture, with large water fountains and rivers surrounding the concrete walkways. When the combat racing sport reached Haven, following the War for Haven City, New Haven was expanded further into town for racing, effectively replacing the completely destroyed Main Town in location and purpose. Developed sectors primarily consisted of tall apartment buildings and large towers or other establishments. They were made primarily of concrete and stone, with watered areas such as rivers and bays being prominent visual elements. Accordingly, they also served seemingly important purposes to the city. Gardens and Bazaars The Gardens and Bazaars were districts surrounding central Main Town. Together, both the northern Garden and southern Garden were Haven City's most floral and faunal districts, consisting solely of pastures and gardens of a variety of tall and unusual fruits and gourds, along with plantations of fruit trees and pens for herds of yakows. The Gardens appeared to be an expansion of Haven Forest which could be located through an airlock in the northern Garden. Both the western Bazaar and eastern Bazaar acted as village markets, likely sustained by the Gardens by trading and marketing its harvests. Fruit stands, as well as other small establishments such as Brutter's Trinket Stand, existed here. When the Palace was bombed, it destroyed all of the Gardens and Bazaar districts, or in the least rendered them inaccessible. When the resurging group of Metal Heads invaded Haven City, they took over the southern Garden and western Bazaar and terraformed it into their own Metal Head City, while the northern Garden and eastern Bazaar remained ruined and abandoned. Society Population Haven City has a dense population with a wide variety of people, and appears to be the most visibly populous location visited by Jak and Daxter. The city has a diverse demographic, including people with slim and thick builds and white and black skin color. Most are dressed in such a fashion to imply their occupation and/or class; some wear anything from simple tattered clothing to a racer's, mechanic's, or aristocrat's attire.See Haven citizens. (discuss) The citizens are very cowardice and xenophobic in nature, often calling for help from the guards. They instantly fall to the ground if Jak is on his JET-Board or driving in a lower hover zone, and appear depressed as they aimlessly walk around the streets of the city. Sig described them as such, asserting that "Haven folk are a bunch of weaklings." Government The model of government in Haven City has varied throughout its history. The city started out with a monarchy in House of Mar, through which descendants of Mar inherited the throne from one generation to the next. The House of Mar was eventually overthrown by the autocratic militant Baron Praxis who transitioned the city into a dictatorship government. Throughout known Haven City history, the Grand Council appeared to have had majority or at least significant influence over the city. However, following Baron Praxis' death, when Ashelin Praxis became governor, the City Council was dissolved in part due to corruption still existing from the time of her father's rule (namely Veger's attitude). Military Haven City's military force during the House of Mar era remains unknown. However, at some point in time the Krimzon Guard was established and used as the primary military force for Haven City. The Krimzon Guard consisted of guards who would patrol the streets of Haven City, acting more as a military police than an international military. They were clad in crimson armor with gear ranging from oxygen tanks to special goggles. After the city's reformation, the Krimzon Guard was merged with the Underground militia, forming the Freedom League. The guards of that military were then referred to as soldiers, and used to battle opposing factions during the War for Haven City instead of to police the citizens. They bore physical identicality to their Krimzon predecessors but were clad in blue armor instead of crimson red. Their insignia also changed from an oppressive robotic mug to a blue shield placed over crossed swords. Technology Haven City was one of the most technologically advanced locations in the Jak and Daxter series, next only to Kras City. It was known for Mar's elaborate technological architecture such as the quarried eco mines that powered the eco grid, which in turn powered the B-zone power grid (while it was still in service) and the Shield Wall. The Shield Wall was a notable device on its own — inexplicably able to filter and repel outside threats (namely the Metal Head armies) for most of the city's existence. Haven City was also well advanced in areas of transportation. One primary example was the Transit System, in which subterranean maglev trains crossed routes through the city akin to subway networks. Haven City was also the only known civilization to utilize zoomers as the primary mode of transportation, including, among others, the common city zoomer, heavily armored air trains, NYFE racers, and HellCat cruisers and bikes. During the rule of Baron Praxis, additional advanced technology was introduced, in some ways through cooperation with weapons merchant Krew. Large excavating equipment such as the drill found at the Dig Site, as well as the elaborate Drill Platform, were all conducted by the Baron. Krew specialized in constructing weapons; he provided Jak with the Morph Gun, presumably ran the Gun Course, and operated the Weapons Factory inside of which he built the massive Piercer Bomb (although it was not used). Recreation While not a tourist destination, Haven did have some recreational outlets, namely racing and hunting. NYFE racing was the most popular sport in Haven City before and during the Baron Praxis era, in which drivers would race each other at the Mar Memorial Stadium on specialized zoomers with their teams through qualifying races. The winner of the Class 1 grand championship was rewarded a life-time supply of eco and a tour of the Baron's Palace. Erol won consecutive years in Haven, placing him in favored odds when racing against Jak (who eventually beat him). Other recreational outlets seemingly included hoverboarding (believably with a JET-Board),Given that the Baron enforced a "no-hoverboarding" rule. (discuss) professional wrestling,Krew used to be a professional wrestler according to memorandum found around the city and at the saloon. (discuss) and trophy hunting.Wastelanders such as Sig would be sent outside the city walls to hunt and collect metal heads to place inside the saloon so as to attract business. (discuss) A year after the War for Haven City (which resulted in the destruction of the stadium, thereby the cessation of NYFE racing), combat racing reached Haven City and far surpassed NYFE racing's audience. Combat racing was popular worldwide, and was such a large recreational spectacle that not only was Mar Memorial Stadium rebuilt, but Haven City underwent major cosmetic changes to accommodate the sport, and presumably remains in that state. Gallery ''Jak II'' Slums day 02.png|Northern Slums Water Slums.png|Water Slums Dead Town.png|Dead Town Industrial Section.jpg|The Industrial Section Port from Jak II.png|South Town Main Town screen.png|Main Town Mar Memorial Stadium topview.png|Mar Memorial Stadium Bazaar screen.png|Eastern Bazaar Gardens.png|Northern Gardens ''Jak 3'' Main Town ruins.png|Main Town ruins New Haven.png|New Haven Port Jak 3.png|South Town Industrial Section support beam.png|Industrial Section Metal Head City.png|Metal Head City (former southern Garden and western Bazaar) Palace Ruins.png|Stadium section ruins See also * Haven City (race track) Notes References Category:Locations in Daxter Category:Locations in Jak II Category:Locations in Jak 3 Category:Locations in Jak X